It’s official. The Canadian government has declared bisphenol A (BPA) as toxic by adding the chemical to the country’s Toxic Substances List, despite strong industry opposition.

The move comes two years after Canada banned baby bottles that contain bisphenol A, a chemical used to harden plastic that mimics the hormone estrogen and has been shown to cause nervous system and reproductive damage.

In 2008, Canada was the first country in the world to propose taking action against the controversial chemical.

In April of that year, the government released a draft risk assessment concluding that the chemical was “toxic” because of its reproductive and developmental toxicity, and its environmental effects.

A recent U.S. study found BPA in 40 percent of paper receipts issued at cash machines and fast food check-outs—exposure levels 250 to 1,000 times greater than from food cans or plastic containers.

A Statistics Canada study released in August revealed that 91 percent of people tested positive for BPA in their urine, with the highest concentrations in children.